City Power, the City of Johannesburg’s electricity utility, has embarked on a massive rollout of new prepaid electricity meters in various parts of the city in a move aimed at improving customer service and lowering the cost of consumption.

City Power contractors have over the past few days been hard at work replacing post-paid and old prepaid meters with new prepaid ones. As of Monday February 27, more than 1 500 new prepaid meters had been installed in Greenstone alone.

“The aim of the rollout of prepayment meters is to ensure better service for customers as the new meters have improved communication capacity and new features.

“With a prepaid meter, power is cheaper because the prepaid system doesn’t include additional charges a post-paid meter would impose, such as service and network access charges. With a prepaid meter you only pay for what you consume,” says City Power’s Hloni Motloung.

The rollout of the new prepaid meters covers both business and residential customers, with preference given to those experiencing problems such as the lack of access to properties to read meters, faulty meters and illegal and “bridged” connections.

More than 18 900 new prepaid meters will be installed in six areas over the next three months. These are Fleurhof (4 000), Pennyville (4 000), Naturena (4 000), Ennerdale (5 752), Bramley (700) and Westdene (700).

Motloung says customers will first receive a notice from City Power alerting them of the move to install the new prepaid meter. In the notice they will also be asked to contact it on the number provided.

A City Power official will arrive with a vending book on the premises on the agreed date to remove the existing meter and replace it with a new prepaid one. The new prepaid meter will be preloaded with 10 units and the customer will be urged to buy additional units as soon as possible.

Motloung urged customers to respond within seven days of the delivery of the City Power replacement notice. Failure to do so may result in the power utility terminating supply.

City Power does not allow customers to use their own private companies to install meters. Only Voltex, Actom and Landis+Gyr have been contracted to do so.

“All City Power contractors are identifiable by an access card with the bearer’s name and surname, photograph and expiry date on it,” says Motloung.

“If the card has already expired, that card bearer is not authorised to work on the City Power network. Also, no contractor is allowed to use another person’s ID card.”